How Important Is the Appearance of Your Equipment?

[ChetlovesMer]

I play PXG irons and I really like them. Mine are GEN5 and I have no plans to replace them anytime soon. 

PXG has just come out with their Double Black and Double Chrome versions of their GEN6 irons. When I saw them I said, "Hm... those are really nice looking irons." But, not so nice looking that I'd want to replace what's in my bag. 

So, here's my question: How important is the look or appearance of your equipment? 

The answer I hear people give to that question all the time is... "I really don't care what my gear looks like. If it help me perform better, I'll use it." 
But I don't think that's true. 

Examples:

• I know at least one golfer who wanted to switch to graphite shafts in his irons, BUT he specifically chose graphite shafts that "look" like they are steel shafts.
• Years ago, I got fitted for a driver and it came down to two pretty evenly performing shafts. I choose the blue one... Why? Because it's blue. 
• If it doesn't matter what clubs look like, why are some clubs offered in multiple color schemes? 
• When Taylormade introduced the P790 irons, they were almost immediately the best selling irons on the market. I will suggest at least some of that success was due to how good they looked. 
• A ton of different irons have come out a year or six months later with a black, or murdered out version, putters as well. There's generally an upcharge for that version. 
• I know golfers who refuse to play a non-white ball, because... well, I actually don't know why. 

So, it's easy to say it doesn't matter to me what my equipment looks like as long as it works for me. But I bet most golfers can think of at least one time they made a purchase because something looked cool, or avoided putting something in their bag because of the way it looked. 

How important is your golf equipment's appearance? 

[klineka]

I would say medium importance to me. I have preferences of what I like to see, but if something is drastically better than something else I am willing to "compromise" on the looks within reason. 

I'm more concerned with what I'm looking down at rather than what the bottom/back of the club looks like.

I've never really cared about what the shaft looks like. I recently got fit for a new driver shaft and as long as it wasn't super egregious like neon green or bright pink I didn't care and ended up with a dark blue one. 

Prior to my last fitting I wasn't a huge fan of glossy finishes on driver/wood/hybrids, but the Cobra Aerojet 3 wood and hybrid out-performed everything else by a mile so I will be ordering those even though they have some gloss to their finishes.

I would say I am probably the pickiest with irons, I don't see myself going with anything that has a thicker topline than the P770s I currently game.

I don't think I've ever placed something in the bag strictly because of how it looked.

[pganapathy]

I honestly don't care how my equipment looks.  It has to perform well and that is the only criterion.  Given that, I would choose a golf ball based on colour, not because I like it, but because it is easily visible on the golf course.  If it is a colour that blends into the background, that is a no-no.

One of the things about clubs performing is the ability to open up wedges so that I can hit it high as and when necessary so a thick sole is not ideal.  That being said, it is performance dictating that and not the actual look

[mdl]

I think it's both it doesn't matter at all and of course it matters For driver and metals (I'm going to die on the cross of not calling a metal club a wood!) I find I care less. I've seen some where I found the particular alignment markings distracting. But in terms of just the aesthetics 🤷‍♂️ I don't mind bright or dark colors or more or less subtle graphics on the sole. For irons I think I care mostly because of how we've been socialized. Fat top line is for "bad" players, so makes me feel less confident. But I'm almost certain I could overcome that if it dropped my handicap! I very seriously considered single length irons which generally look fatter.

[GolfLug]

I mean they have to be at least reasonably nice to look at right? Irons are bit of an identity extensions for most serious golfers IMO so yeah important enough. Some confidence implications too. Fuglies are non-starters. 

I remember I bought this old used Wilson 'fat shaft' iron set for $30 from 2nd swing 20 years ago just for curiosity as to see they hit like. But these bad boys looked like agricultural tools, as in, they must have been prodigiously used for whacking weeds or tilling land somewhere, some point in their lifetime... lol. I swear there was an evening two-some who passed up on joining up with me solely based on how fugly these irons were...😂.  They hit okay but were just too hard to look and live with so brought them back to the 2nd swing store after a couple of weeks and gave them back for almost nothing. 

3 hours ago, ChetlovesMer said:

But I don't think that's true. 

Examples:

• I know at least one golfer who wanted to switch to graphite shafts in his irons, BUT he specifically chose graphite shafts that "look" like they are steel shafts.
• Years ago, I got fitted for a driver and it came down to two pretty evenly performing shafts. I choose the blue one... Why? Because it's blue. 
• If it doesn't matter what clubs look like, why are some clubs offered in multiple color schemes? 
• When Taylormade introduced the P790 irons, they were almost immediately the best selling irons on the market. I will suggest at least some of that success was due to how good they looked. 
• A ton of different irons have come out a year or six months later with a black, or murdered out version, putters as well. There's generally an upcharge for that version. 
• I know golfers who refuse to play a non-white ball, because... well, I actually don't know why. 

  Yeah, all good examples. Good news is like your P790 irons example, it doesn't have to be much of a choice anymore. These days they all perform and unless they are decently good looking to start out, no one's even putting them on the shelf.  

[iacas]

I added a poll, @ChetlovesMer, and voted "3" in it.

I care about:

• keeping my equipment clean.
• the appearance inasmuch as how it informs how the equipment plays (i.e. a huge wide sole plays differently than a thinner sole).
• the size of the clubhead and the "cleanliness" of the lines - I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to preferring smaller iron heads, deeper faced drivers over wider drivers, etc.

I don't care much about the colors of shafts, or the number of steps (if any) that they have, etc. I've seen shafts I think are "cool" looking, but performance trumps looks, and after a few swings, you don't really notice the shaft much anymore anyway.

[billchao]

I went with “2” in the poll. I care that the equipment looks good, but not over how they perform for me. I love the way my MP4s look but there’s a reason they sit in my basement. If I went for a club fitting and could flight SGI clubs down the way I need to I’d play them, thick top line, wide sole, and all. But if they were only marginally better than another set of more “traditional-looking” irons I’d probably go with the latter.

I don’t care much about bag chatter, minor dings, or chips if they don’t affect performance. I like to keep my clubs clean, but again that’s less for appearance than it is to clean debris out of the grooves and such.

I remember saying to @DaveP043 when I was down at his club checking out equipment in the pro shop how I thought today’s fairway woods looked to me like hockey pucks on the end of a stick because they’re so wide and flat. Then I immediately thought that the more traditional deep faced 3W I have is probably the reason I don’t hit it very well off the deck. So I fully expect at some point this winter I will be going for a fitting and buying a hockey puck on a stick.

[dennyjones]

3 hours ago, billchao said:

So I fully expect at some point this winter I will be going for a fitting and buying a hockey puck on a stick.

😄

I like clean clubs.  I'm not overly hyped over the look because I guess I've not tried enough different clubs to know differently.   I am not wowed by clubs,  just the performance.   Watching a pro hit a ball using a different club doesn't entice me to run out and buy that club.  

With that said, I voted #3.

Edited November 13, 2023 by dennyjones

[Vinsk]

I voted #4. I don’t care if I can break 80 every time with Cleveland Launchers, I’m not playing them. 

[pganapathy]

So far I am the only one and expect to be the only person who voted 1.  I honestly don't care provided it performs as I need it to in all conditions.  The only thing I care about in appearance is clean golf clubs every time after I play a round and sorta cleaning the grooves while playing.  Clean grooves help you play better, especially in high lofted clubs because it generates the spin you need

[DrizZzY]

I voted #4. If I am being honest with myself, there is certain equipment or brands that I would never play even if was the best for me. Some of it is looks, some of it is past experience with those brands. 

[ChetlovesMer]

16 hours ago, billchao said:

I remember saying to @DaveP043 when I was down at his club checking out equipment in the pro shop how I thought today’s fairway woods looked to me like hockey pucks on the end of a stick because they’re so wide and flat. Then I immediately thought that the more traditional deep faced 3W I have is probably the reason I don’t hit it very well off the deck. So I fully expect at some point this winter I will be going for a fitting and buying a hockey puck on a stick.

@billchao I agree with you on this score. For a while I carried a mini-driver for this reason. I really do like the deep faced 3W when hitting it off a tee. But off the deck, the margin for error is very small. Thus, I carried a mini-driver for off the tee and a "hockey puck on a stick" for off the deck. I still have the mini-driver in the closet, but I don't carry it anymore. 

4 hours ago, DrizZzY said:

I voted #4. If I am being honest with myself, there is certain equipment or brands that I would never play even if was the best for me. Some of it is looks, some of it is past experience with those brands. 

I appreciate the honesty. I've actually asked this question to a lot of folks. Sometimes they immediately respond with "It doesn't matter what it looks like, it has to work for me." Then about two sentences later they say something like "I wouldn't be caught dead with a Wilson Harmonized Wedge in my bag." ...👍

9 hours ago, Vinsk said:

I voted #4. I don’t care if I can break 80 every time with Cleveland Launchers, I’m not playing them. 

My man! 

- "Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom". 

[boogielicious]

I voted 3. I like my clubs to be clean and arranged so I can grab them quickly. I like cavity back irons for their look. I don’t mind bag chatter. I like a Ping Anser style putter head. But I don’t need the latest and greatest irons or putter with lots of graphics and colors.

I don’t like a lot of graphics on my wood heads because I find it distracting. I just want to be able to see the face is aligned correctly. I lean toward black.

I do like to have my bag a certain color scheme so I can spot it easily and I’ve always liked Navy Blue. I have Red Sox head covers as they were a gift. Again, they’re easy to spot that their mine.

[StuM]

I voted 4. Performance clearly trumps appearance and I would rarely buy just on looks (more on “rarely” below) and I do not buy just to impress others but I do want my clubs clean and looking cared for. I do not want them beat up, scratched, dinged, etc.  

I’m a little surprised at the number of people ranking appearance low having read numerous comments in a thread on the LAB Mezz putter in which many commented on its ugliness.

As for my comment on “Rarely” I am forced to admit the putter below was 90% based on appearance, but it does work for me but not as well as my Odyssey.  If I had never purchased this putter then I would have voted 3.

[ChetlovesMer]

50 minutes ago, boogielicious said:

I do like to have my bag a certain color scheme so I can spot it easily and I’ve always liked Navy Blue. I have Red Sox head covers as they were a gift. Again, they’re easy to spot that their mine.

I didn't really think about the bag or the head covers when I started this thread. But anyone who knows me knows I like my driver head cover. Similarly, I'm pretty sure I've never owned a golf bag that wasn't blue. ... If I have, I'm sure I got rid of it quickly in order to switch to a blue one. 

38 minutes ago, StuM said:

I voted 4. Performance clearly trumps appearance and I would rarely buy just on looks (more on “rarely” below) and I do not buy just to impress others but I do want my clubs clean and looking cared for. I do not want them beat up, scratched, dinged, etc.  

I’m a little surprised at the number of people ranking appearance low having read numerous comments in a thread on the LAB Mezz putter in which many commented on its ugliness.

As for my comment on “Rarely” I am forced to admit the putter below was 90% based on appearance, but it does work for me but not as well as my Odyssey.  If I had never purchased this putter then I would have voted 3.

Putters. ... Wow, that's an interesting thought. Here's the deal. I don't like the way my putter "looks". I never have. Yes, it was custom fit and built for me. But seriously I don't think it's a good looking putter. Not sure what I expected when I ordered it up. But I've always been a little disappointed in it's appearance.

I do have a couple of really good looking putters and I pull them out now and again and even put them in my bag for a time. But darn it; I always putt best with my Edel putter that @iacas fit for me. I have to admit it works well for me. (Or at least better than any other thing I've tried.) If I putted equally well with all of my putters, the Edel would be the last one I'd carry. But every time I play a tournament or if I really need to play well, or I'm in an important (to me) match. I grab my unattractive Edel putter. Because, darned if it doesn't "work" best. 

 

[Vinsk]

I’m absolutely ridiculous about bag, colors and how my rig looks. I actually admire those who can use any bag, unmatched colors. I have to have my bag brand match my irons. Asinine, but it’s like some who can totally ignore a crooked picture frame while others have to straighten it. 

[StuM]

3 hours ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Similarly, I'm pretty sure I've never owned a golf bag that wasn't blue. .

@ChetlovesMer is clearly into style,  not sure how he voted in this pole but below from one of his older posts..

 

1 hour ago, Vinsk said:

I’m absolutely ridiculous about bag, colors and how my rig looks.

And I think @Vinsk would appreciate the color scheme.

[billchao]

4 hours ago, StuM said:

I’m a little surprised at the number of people ranking appearance low having read numerous comments in a thread on the LAB Mezz putter in which many commented on its ugliness.

I don’t think it’s a mutually exclusive situation. I can think the club is ugly and still be willing to put it in my bag if it putts better than my Edel. I’m just not willing to spend $500 to try it out. Acknowledging something is ugly is not the same thing as refusing to put it in the bag because it’s ugly.

I was seriously considering trying out side saddle putting this year but couldn’t get myself to spend $400 on an experiment. Side saddle putting looks kind of silly and the putters look dumb but I would have gladly done it if it wasn’t for the cost of entry.